


Foxgloves and Snowdrops

by Katyakora



Series: CWAweek2018 [5]
Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fusion, CWAweek2018, Grimm Fusion, Grimm!Iris, Multi, Wesen!Barry, Wesen!Leonard
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-08
Updated: 2018-06-08
Packaged: 2019-05-19 03:10:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,057
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14865476
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Katyakora/pseuds/Katyakora
Summary: When his parents died, Barry inherited their spice shop and the unofficial title of Central City's wesen healer. He gets all kinds in his shop, and tonight that includes an ex and a Grimm.





	Foxgloves and Snowdrops

**Author's Note:**

> Coldwestallen week Day 5: Medical
> 
> Grimm Fusion. For those unfamiliar with the show, wesen are people with creature like aspects when they 'woge' or shift appearance, and Grimms are mildly superhuman people who can see their woge and hunt them. Wesen glossary in the endnotes.  
> I haven't seen past season three but I recommend you check it out if you haven't.

When Barry's father died, Barry didn't think twice about taking over his shop. The apothecary had been in his mother's family for generations, and it was the only establishment of its kind in Central City. Barry wasn't about to let the wesen of his home city suffer just because it was painful for him to return there. His friends didn't understand, thought he was crazy to leave his practice and become a lowly shopkeeper, but most of them didn't know. They didn't know that Barry was in fact returning to a much larger practice, with a significant chunk of the city’s population as his patients. The change was actually far crazier than they could possibly know.

 

The only person who understood was Caitlin, a dämonfeuer he'd befriended in medical school. She agreed to help out when she could, coming in to assist when he wasn't able to treat patients, make salves, and run the apothecary at the same time. He also got help from his friend Cisco, a young zauberbiest who was happy to help with a spell or two when even wesen medicine wouldn't cut it.

 

Barry had just settled quite comfortably into his new life when she came along.

 

The Grimm.

 

It was early evening, although heavy rain had already darkened the skies. He was just about to close for the night when she walked right into his shop, with eyes like the deepest abyss, drawing him in and drowning him in his own reflection. It was unsettling, and Barry was a little embarrassed to admit that he woged at the sight of her.

 

“Woah, calm down, it's okay, I'm not here to hurt you Barry!” she said hastily, holding her empty hands up. Barry still backed up instinctively, but her words broke through his panic and he focused on the face that held those haunting eyes.

 

“Iris?” he exclaimed. “You’re a Grimm?”

 

Barry hadn't seen Iris since high school. Her family had moved away, and they'd fallen out of touch. She was just as beautiful as he remembered, despite her terrifying gaze.

 

“It's a recent development,” she admitted with a sheepish little shrug. “I'm still getting used to it. And it's nice to finally meet the real you.” She gestured to his still-woged face, and the russet-red fur and twitching black nose that marked him as a fuchsbau. Barry crossed his arms and straightened his spine, unashamed of his true nature.

 

“Yeah, I can see how hunting and murdering innocent wesen might take some getting used to,” he snarled coldly. It broke his heart a little to know that the first woman he'd ever loved was one of the kind that had killed his mother.

 

“I don't do that!” Iris countered firmly. “I'm a cop. I hunt criminals, some of whom just happen to be wesen. And that's not why I'm here.” Her hard gaze turned desperate and worried. “Look, my friend is very sick and he says you're the only person in the city who can help him.”

 

“So take him to a hospital,” Barry argued, but his appearance slipped back into that of a human and he could feel his guard lowering. This sounded much more like the Iris West that he'd known; fiercely protective of her loved ones and willing to help and fight for just about anyone. Perhaps becoming a Grimm really hadn't changed her that much. 

 

“I can't,” she answered, “because he's a pflichttreue.”

 

“You’re friends with a wesen?” Barry asked incredulously. It wasn't impossible that a good Grimm might be on cordial terms with some wesen, but Barry didn't think he had ever heard of anyone befriending a Grimm before.

 

“Yes... well sort of. He might, possibly also be my boyfriend, I think...I don’t know, its complicated, but will you please help him?”

 

“Yeah, okay,” Barry agreed, a little dazed over apparently having his entire world view tilted on its axis in a single evening. “Bring him to the back.” A Grimm and wesen...that was definitely unheard of, and Barry found himself curious to meet the wesen who’d taken that particular leap.

 

Iris smiled gratefully and moved to the door, opening it just enough to gesture to someone to come in. Barry moved to the back and began to set up what was essentially his examination room. It was just a couple of cots with partitions for privacy, but it was usually enough for his needs. 

 

He heard the sound of someone entering the room behind him, and he turned to see his patient. Iris was back, her sick friend being supported between her and Mick Rory, the human cop whom Barry had met before, through the very wesen that hung limply between them.

 

“Leonard?”

 

Leonard weakly raised his head at Barry’s startled exclamation.

 

“Hey...Scarlet…”

 

“Get him on the cot, I need to look him over,” Barry ordered briskly.

 

He tried to ignore the painful squeeze of his heart at the thought that the ex he’d been hung-up on for the last year was maybe/sort of dating his first crush. Barry let his professional demeanor take over, going through the standard checks to determine what was wrong with Leonard. He asked for a list of symptoms which Leonard managed to slur out. The prognosis didn’t look good.

 

“I think he’s been poisoned,” Barry finally revealed, glancing up to catch their reactions. Both human and Grimm looked honestly stunned.

 

“You don’t think…?” Mick hedged, looking to Iris.

 

“Maybe, but the symptoms are completely different to the other poisonings,” Iris answered.

 

“What other poisonings?” Barry asked.

 

“We’ve been investigating a rash of poisonings,” Iris explained. “All the victims were skalengecks. Leonard thought they might be part of some kind of wesen drug trafficking ring; he was helping me look into it.”

 

“That makes sense,” Barry muttered, getting up to rummage through the supplies he had in the back. “Different wesen will react differently to some compounds. The skalengecks, was there any discoloration around their mouths?”

 

“Yeah, that’s what tipped me off that this might be poisoning.”

 

“That’s good,” Barry muttered, his mind settling the different pieces of the problem into place. “I should be able to treat him.”

 

Both Mick and Iris slumped in relief at the news. 

 

“I’ll go track down that rat bastard Len was talking to, find out what he knows about this,” Mick announced to Iris, “I'll keep you posted.” He looked over at Leonard, who could barely focus with his fever-bright eyes. “And you, you better not die while I'm gone, or I'll kill you.”

 

“Heartwarming as always, Mick,” Leonard drawled.

 

Mick left with a grunt, leaving Barry alone with Iris and Leonard. He busied himself collecting ingredients and trying to ignore Iris as she approached Len on his cot and sat next to him, taking his hand in hers.

 

“How do you feel?” Iris asked softly.

 

“Like I went a few rounds with a Grimm. Brings back fond memories.”

 

“You’re never gonna let me live that down, are you?” Iris said with a slightly shaky chuckle. “If you woke up one day suddenly seeing animal people, you’d be freaked out too.” 

 

“Gotta even the playing field somehow,” he slurred. “Since we both know you can kick my ass...gotta resort to psychological warfare.”

 

“How charming,” Iris deadpanned.

 

“Well, it seems to work for you, so I figure why stop?”

 

Barry didn't want to intrude on their moment, but the antidote was ready. He cleared his throat and approached.

 

“Help me sit him up, please,” he ordered crisply as he placed his burden on a side table and sat in the chair on Leonard's other side. With a lot of groaning, they got him into a sitting position, hunched over a little but largely upright. Barry placed a large metal bowl on Leonard's lap.

 

“That better not be for what I think it is,” Leonard grit out, panting from the effort it had taken to sit.

 

“It is. You’re going to throw up. A lot,” Barry informed him baldly. “Poison has to come out somehow. Just be thankful it hasn't been in your system that long so this is still an option.”

 

“I remember your bedside manner being a lot warmer than this.”

 

“Can't imagine how that might have changed,” Barry muttered sarcastically. “Hold this.” He passed Leonard a smaller, cloth-covered bowl that was warm to the touch. “I'm gonna lift the cover over your head and I want you to breathe in as deeply as you can. Do not suppress the urge to vomit, that's what the bigger bowl is for.” 

 

“At least I get to hold on to some dignity,” Leonard slurred before his head disappeared under the cloth.

 

“How long will it take?” Iris asked.

 

“The fumes should hit him pretty quickly.”

 

Under the cloth, the sound of retching followed by a wet splatter could be heard. Iris rubbed his back in soothing circles as the poison was slowly purged from his system. Barry almost did the same, but caught himself. That wasn't his place anymore. He had thought that he was done being angry and hurt, but then these two had come along to rip open the old wound and pour salt on it. He busied himself tidying up his workbench, trying to avoid looking at them.

 

Soon though, the unpleasant sounds ended and Barry had to return to the cot.

 

“Ugh, I think that's it,” Leonard groaned. Barry took both bowls, being careful to keep the cloth covering them both and took them to a side room to dispose of the contents. He retrieved a tonic from the fridge and returned. He paused in the doorway, steeling himself to go back in, their soft conversation filtering into the hallway.

 

“-pretty crappy second date,” Leonard was saying. He’d returned to a lying position and Iris was using a cloth to gently wipe the sweat from his forehead.

 

“If us getting take-out after researching for hours counts as a first date, then we are well past the second, Leonard,” Iris said with a chuckle. “And if that's your idea of a date, then you seriously need to up your game.”

 

“Considering how last night ended, I'd say my game is just fine, thanks,” Leonard countered, smirking.

 

Iris bit her lip, a nervous tell she’d had since they were kids.

 

“Are we gonna talk about it? Last night?”

 

“That had been the plan. That and dinner, maybe wine and flowers, definitely no vomiting in the back room of Barry's shop. Today really didn't work out the way I intended.” He clutched his stomach and groaned, drawing Barry out of his hiding place in the shadows.

 

“Here,” Barry said briskly, pouring a mouthful of tonic into a cup and handing it to him. “This will help ease the cramps.”

 

“Thanks,” Leonard took the cup and quaffed it back smoothly. He sighed, his eyes drooping as the tonic did it's work. “Always took such... good care...of...me….”

 

 _Then_ _why did you leave?_ Barry thought with a sigh as Leonard passed out, the tonic combining with the strain from the poison to force his body to rest. He looked so peaceful in sleep, and all Barry wanted to do was shake him awake and demand to know the truth. Instead he slumped down into his chair.

 

“I'll need to keep him under observation for the night, make sure all of the poison was purged,” he told Iris. “You’re welcome to stay; there's blankets in that cupboard if you start to get cold.”

 

“Thank you,” Iris said sincerely, “really, for everything.”

 

“Just doing my job,” Barry played it off, although the gratitude was appreciated.

 

“I know, but I got the impression that you two had some... unpleasant history, and my being a Grimm probably doesn't help at all, so...thank you.”

 

“Uh, yeah, sorry about earlier,” Barry stuttered, “I shouldn't have been so quick to judge. My past experience with a Grimm was... pretty unpleasant, but I know that's not you. Sorry.”

 

“It's okay, I get it,” Iris accepted with an understanding smile. “Grimms have done some horrific things to wesen in the past. I don't blame people for being wary of me.”

 

“And knowing you, you're doing everything possible to change that perception,” Barry told her kindly. 

 

“Well, I try,” Iris shrugged it off, ducking her head bashfully. 

 

They lapsed into silence for a moment, the only sound being the rain pattering against the roof and Leonard’s slightly raspy breathing. Barry looked over at Iris, who was watching Leonard with a slight wrinkle of worry in her brow. Barry hadn’t seen her in almost a decade, yet she still looked exactly like he remembered. She was the opposite of everything he’d ever been taught about Grimms. He couldn’t imagine her being anything like the shadowy figure from his nightmares who’d taken his mother from him.

 

“Can I ask you a personal question?” Iris asked out of nowhere.

 

“Uh, yeah, sure?”

 

“I was just curious, and you can tell me to mind my own business if you want, but...what exactly happened between you two?”

 

Barry swallowed and looked away, but that only led to him looking at Leonard’s sleeping face, and all of those old feelings bubbled to the surface. 

 

“We used to date,” he stated shortly.

 

“Oh. I’m guessing it ended badly?”

 

“Yeah,” Barry sighed. The room felt heavy with awkwardness now that it was out there, but now that he’d said it, Barry found he couldn’t keep the flood of emotions in. “I don’t even know what happened. Everything was great, or at least I thought it was. Next thing I know, he’s calling me out of the blue saying it’s over and I’m never gonna see him again. No explanation at all, just one day he’s done with me! Not one hint about what I did wrong!”

 

“Oh my god, he was talking about you!” Iris murmured in sudden understanding. “Barry, calm down,” she implored soothingly and reached across the cot to take his hand in a warm, comforting grip. “It’s okay, it’s okay. You did nothing wrong.” Her warm brown eyes shone with compassion and pity. “I swear, it wasn’t because of you. If Leonard had his way, he never would have left you. He loves you!”

 

“What?” Barry blinked, still panting a little from his tirade.

 

Iris looked down, glancing at Leonard’s unconscious form and biting her lip.

 

“I can’t say much,” she admitted with a wince, “it’s really not my place. But trust me, he only left you because he had no other choice. You were the love of his life and someone from his past was going to use that against him. The only way to protect you was to cut all ties.”

 

“He...what?” 

 

Barry could barely believe what Iris was telling him. His heart was hammering in his chest as all the implications crashed over him. Leonard hadn’t just gotten tired of him, Barry hadn’t screwed up somehow. Barry stared down at Leonard’s sleeping face, all the hurt and anger he’d kept at war with the love that had spawned them. Iris squeezed his hand and Barry realised that he’d woged and his eyes had gotten moist.

 

“He...he never...why didn’t he say anything?” 

 

Iris smiled sadly at him and squeezed his hand again. “I’m sorry, Barry. You’ll have to ask him that yourself.”

 

Barry swallowed thickly and squeezed her hand back. This really was something he needed to discuss with Leonard. He also felt a pang of guilt when he remembered what Iris had said about her own relationship with Leonard, what he’d overheard just few minutes ago.

 

“I...I’m sorry,” he told her sincerely. “You shouldn’t have to...I don’t know, console your maybe-boyfriend’s ex? I’m sorry for dragging you into this.”

 

“It’s okay,” she said again, and Barry wished he could believe it. “And, if you want to get technical, I’m consoling my ex and old friend over something that really hurt him. I’m always happy to do that.” She smiled hesitantly, and Barry felt a warmth spread inside him.

 

“There’s the Iris West I remember.” He chuckled. “God, today has been a rollercoaster. Ran out of dried snowdrops first thing in the morning. My ex has been poisoned and might actually have had a good reason for disappearing. Oh, and my high school best friend is back in town, a Grimm and maybe dating my ex. Not exactly a typical Tuesday.”

 

Iris couldn’t help but chuckle too. “Sounds like you rolled with the punches pretty well. Y’know, I’m actually surprised we haven’t run into each other sooner. I’ve been back in Central for over a year now.”

 

“Unless you’ve got a taste for exotic teas these days, there wasn’t much chance of us just running into each other. This place keeps me pretty busy and I haven’t gone out much since…” he trailed off, looking sadly down at Leonard.

 

“Well, if it won’t taint your good fuchsbau reputation too much to be seen with a Grimm, I could help you get out more,” Iris offered. “I’d love to get to know the real Barry Allen. Whiskers and all.”

 

“Are you kidding? I dated a pflichttreue, any good fuchsbau reputation I ever had is long gone. I would happily tarnish it further for you.”

 

Iris smiled broadly, a touch of pink in her cheeks and Barry was abruptly reminded of when they were sixteen and awkwardly fumbling their way through both of their first real kisses. She was still so beautiful, with eyes he could get lost in. Where at first their depth had unnerved him, knowing it was her gave a different association to their mirroring darkness. Now they reminded him of a warm, sunny afternoon in her old house, his nervous hands on her waist and the indescribable touch of her lips against his.

 

Abruptly, he realised that they were both just sitting there holding hands and looking into each other’s eyes. He cleared his throat and broke his gaze, but couldn’t quite bring himself to let go.

 

“...s...sno...snowdro...”

 

The both jumped as Leonard groaned out the sounds, trying to fight through the haze to speak. 

 

“Be careful, don’t hurt yourself,” Barry cautioned, reaching up to place a gentle hand on Leonard’s forehead to check his temperature. Leonard’s eyes slowly blinked open just a slit.

 

“Sno...snowdrop...rat...poc...pocket...had snow…”

 

“Ssshhh, it’s okay, Leonard, I understand,” Iris soothed him. “You just rest now.”

 

Leonard’s eyes gratefully slid closed again.

 

“He must have been half conscious and heard us talking,” Barry figured, tapping his chin. “By rat, did he mean like a reinigen?”

 

“Yeah, he was talking to a reinigen earlier today, said he was one of his old contacts,” Iris confirmed. “It was about an hour later the stomach cramps started.”

 

“A reinigen has been buying up all my snowdrops,” Barry told her, his face falling, “He said it was for medicinal use, but Iris, I think I sold him the poison.”

 

“Hey, what your customers do with this stuff is not on you,” Iris told him firmly. She stood, giving Leonard one last worried look. “If he’s our killer, I need to go, make sure Mick didn’t walk into a trap.” She fished a card out of her pocket. “Call me if anything changes here. I’ll be back soon.”

 

Barry nodded and took the card, watching her go with a worried eyes. She was a cop and Grimm, but Barry couldn’t help but worry about her. He took solace in knowing she wouldn’t be alone. Leonard twitched in his sleep and Barry hurried to get him a blanket. He watched over him, occasionally checking his temperature and breathing. All the old hurt that Leonard had stirred up had turned into a ball of confusion in his belly. If Leonard really had left for his sake, then what did that mean for them? Or for Iris, for that matter. Barry needed the whole story, if only so he might figure out how to finally move on.

 

A couple of hours later, he got it.

 

“This is familiar.”

 

Barry jerked up from his sketch pad, reflexively covering the image and blushing to his ears. He often drew when he was bored, and watching someone sleep was hardly riveting. But it was always embarrassing to get caught drawing someone without their permission. Leonard was smirking at him from his pillow, his eyes no longer glazed but focused and clear.

 

“Old habits,” Barry said simply, tucking the sketch pad away under his chair. Once upon a time, Leonard had been his favourite subject.

 

“I remember.” The words were simple, but laced with regret and guilt. Before Barry could answer, Leonard asked, “Where’s Iris?”

 

“Chasing your lead,” Barry answered, hastily texting her to let her know Leonard was awake. “Even half-dead you managed to put the clues together.”

 

“Well, you know me,” Leonard shrugged , “I love a good puzzle.”

 

“Do I?” Barry found himself asking. “Know you, that is. Because I thought I did. But then you ripped the ground out from under me. So I don’t really think I do.”

 

Leonard sighed and sat up, rubbing his eyes.

 

“I owe you an apology.”

 

“Damn straight you do.”

 

“I didn’t want to do it, Barry,” Leonard said softly, sounding pained. He wasn’t looking Barry in the eye, instead he watched his fidgeting fingers. “You know that my family...my father is not a good man. You know how hard I worked to get out from under him, to get Lisa away from him.”

 

“I remember.”

 

“He came back, Barry. And when he couldn’t get to Lisa, he went after you.”

 

Barry’s jaw fell open.

 

“The break in? That was him?”

 

“Yeah. Proving that he could get to you whenever he wanted. So I did the only thing that would get you off his radar.”

 

“But why didn’t you tell me?” Barry demanded. “I would have understood! I would have helped you-”

 

“Exactly, Barry!” Leonard interjected, and upset as he was, he woged, snowy white fur dusted with silvery spots covering his head, his dark nose twitching. “You would have done everything you could to help me no matter what and you would have just painted an even bigger target on your back!”

 

“You don’t get to decide the risks that I take for what I believe in,” Barry argued, baring his fox teeth in challenge. “I should have gotten to make that decision, but instead you left me, alone and confused!”

 

“I know,” Leonard answered gravely, “and I’m more sorry for that than you know. But I couldn’t let him get to you Barry. I’m sorry, but I couldn’t. So hate me if you want, I understand. But I can’t regret protecting you.”

 

The silence following that hung heavy between them, the air finally thick with all the things that had been left unsaid and allowed to fester. They both let their woged faces slip back to human as their emotions lowered.

 

“I don’t hate you,” Barry said quietly. “I have been angry for a long time. But knowing the reason why, it helps.”

 

“I’m glad. And I am sorry, for everything I put you through.”

 

Barry huffed. “You know, I think this is the most I’ve ever heard you apologise. Ever.”

 

“Blame Iris; go up against someone as stubborn as she is and you learn when to just concede.”

 

“Oh, I know. I learned from a very young age it was better not to just not argue with her.”

 

Leonard gave him a curious look. “What exactly is the history there, if you don't mind me asking? Bit of a strange connection, a fuchsbau and a Grimm.”

 

“Well she wasn't quite a Grimm yet when I met her in the second grade,” Barry pointed out dryly. “We were best friends when we were kids. She didn't know it at the time, but she beat up a klaustreich that used to bully me.”

 

“Guess she was always a Grimm at heart,” Leonard chuckled.

 

“Yeah,” Barry agreed softly. “Makes me wonder about the stories. About…”

 

“What happened to your mother,” Leonard finished for him. Barry nodded, looking away. Even after all these years, the memory was still painful. Leonard straightened a little further and took Barry's hand. “When I first met Iris, she threw me through a window.” That startled a laugh out of Barry, and Leonard smiled but kept going. “Not because I’m wesen and she's a Grimm, but because she was a scared young woman seeing things that she didn't understand. I imagine it starts that way for a lot of Grimms, and most wesen aren't exactly willing to risk standing around and explaining the situation. Now, the one time I've met Iris's mother, she tried to kill me  _ because _ I'm wesen. It had never even occurred to her that I might not be a threat. She was the result of hundreds of years worth of ignorance and fear. Iris is special, so special, because she saw past her fear. She didn't finish the job or even run when she tossed me out that window, instead she apologized, patched me up and paid for the window.” Leonard's eyes grew wistful as he remembered. “I've watched her get to know and understand every wesen she's come across. She doesn't kill unless there is no other option, and even then she will fight to find a better option. Iris is everything that a Grimm is supposed to be. She protects the innocent and hunts the wicked, regardless of what they are. The man who took your mother? He wasn't a Grimm, he was a scared, ignorant little boy who didn't care who he hurt. They are  _ not _ the same.”

 

Barry gave him a small, grateful smile. He hadn't known how much he'd needed to hear that.

 

“Her mom really tried to kill you?”

 

“Yeah. Of course, Iris jumped in and I got a front row seat to some Grimm-on-Grimm. Pretty sure I'm the first wesen to ever see that.”

 

“You’re probably the first wesen ever to sleep with one too.”

 

Leonard grimaced. “You heard that, huh?”

 

“I'm not upset,” Barry assured him, and truly, he wasn't. “We’ve been broken up for almost a year. And I get it, I really do. She is amazing and beautiful and if anyone shouldn't be afraid of your dad, it's a Grimm.”

 

Leonard was looking down, and Barry realised he was looking at their hands, which were still clasped. Gently, Barry extricated his fingers from Leonard's.

 

“I'm happy for you two, Len. I really am.”

 

“But what about you?” Leonard looked conflicted, and he wasn't alone. Barry really was happy that they had found each other, but he couldn't help but be jealous of both of them. He smiled sadly at the man he loved.

 

“I’ll be fine. I'm just glad I finally know the truth and we can all move on.”

 

“Yeah.” Neither of them were convinced by Leonard's quiet agreement.

 

Barry's phone rang. It was Iris, calling to tell them that the poisoner had been arrested and to check in with Leonard. Barry handed over his phone and made himself busy checking stock to give him the illusion of a private conversation. He could hear the affection in Leonard's voice as he spoke and it made Barry's heart squeeze painfully. After the call, he convinced Leonard to get more sleep, and spent a fitful night himself half-dozing next to the cot. Mick came by early in the morning to drive Leonard home, sparing Barry further awkward conversation. The now empty clinic felt too big and cold, and Barry called Caitlin to watch the shop so he could get some real sleep.

 

Barry tried, he really did. He had his closure, he could finally get over the loves he’d lost. But after their whirlwind re-entry into his life, he couldn't get either of them out of his head. It didn't help that Iris kept texting him, asking him about his day and making him laugh with anecdotes of her own misadventures. When Cisco came over to help make salves and tinctures, he teased Barry about the little grin he got every time his phone pinged. Barry told him the same thing he’d been telling himself; he was just happy to have his old friend back. He was pretty sure he convinced Cisco about as well as he'd convinced himself; not at all.

 

It was raining again, and Barry was just about to close for the night when he walked in. Leonard looked much healthier this time around, more like the strong, charismatic presence that Barry remembered from their first meeting. He was also dressed impeccably in a tailored suit and long navy coat.

 

“Leonard,” Barry greeted him in surprise, “you're looking much better.”

 

“Well, I'm not puking my guts out, so I should hope so,” Leonard answered smoothly as he approached and leaned his elbows on the counter. “I thought you closed early on Friday nights?”

 

“That was when my social life was a little more active,” Barry admitted with a grimace, wondering why Leonard was there if he thought the shop would be closed.

 

“Well then I say it's high time you returned to form,” Leonard announced. “Iris and I are headed to that thai restaurant you like and we wanted you to join us.”

 

“Oh, I don't want to intrude on your, your date-”

 

“Barry,” Leonard interrupted lowly, seriously, “we  _ want _ you to join us. If you want to,” he added, but there was a hope in his eyes that Barry hadn't seen since the first time Leonard had asked him on a date. For some reason, this invitation felt very similar, and Barry felt a hope of his own kindle in his chest.

 

“I, uh, I’ll have to go upstairs and change.”

 

Leonard's answering grin was brilliant and utterly worth any awkwardness that may come if this wasn't what Barry thought it was. 

 

“Let me lock up and I'll be out in five minutes?”

 

Twelve minutes later Barry nervously stepped out of his shop and under Leonard's umbrella. Iris, looking stunning in a deep purple dress and coat, slipped an arm through his with a smile.

 

“I'm so glad you said yes,” she told him.

 

Looking at the way they both smiled at him, Barry was too.

**Author's Note:**

> Glossary:  
> Pflichtreue - snow leopard-like wesen  
> Fuchsbau - fox-like wesen  
> Dämonfeuer - dragon-like wesen (Danielle Panabaker actually played one on the show)  
> Zauberbiest - Warlock  
> Reinigen - rat-like wesen  
> Skalengeck - lizard-like wesen


End file.
